Surat Thani

I Boarded the overnight train from Bangkok to Surat Thani around 6.30pm, was going to be a 12hr journey and I was imagining sharing a carrige with live stock and smelly locals who would be keen to eat westerners for breakfast.

I can happily tell you it was nothing like I imagined, the seats were bigger than normal so you could spread out on them and you had fold away tables. The first thing that we were given was a Singh beer and a dinner menu. I was told to give this meal a miss, food on a Thai train sounds a bit dodgy.

We set off around 7pm, the train was pretty fast and noisy but you got use to it quite quickly. I was facing the way the train was going and saw a on coming train coming, it made a huge noise and as it was about to pass Lauren who was travelling backwards decided to stick her head out the window to see what the noise was. Just as she did the train zoomed past and I have never seen anyone move so quick, we sat there for a few seconds in silence. The on

coming train was centermeter's from her head, it was so close. The lesson here is do not stick your head out of a train window in Thailand there are no gaps between the tracks!

As the hours past and everyone had eaten the workers moved through the carrige pretty quickly folding the tables away and pulling your beds down. It was suprisingly efficient and clean. We all had our own curtains to pull across, I stayed down in the bottom bunk as I could just see myself falling out the top in the night and landing on my head.

After the beds were made there were a few sellers going through selling snacks, the funnist one was this big fat guy selling coffee. He was shouting cccooofffeee anyone want cccooofffee! we still take the piss out of him now, you had to be there, I am even laughing typing it.

Just as we thought that was it for the night Jason, Shona, the Fiona's and myself went to visit the PARTY CARRIAGE! Unfortunatley they didnt have the flashing lights they usually have but they cranked up the music had plenty of beer and the atmosphere was really

cool. There were quite alot of English playing cards, the workers were trying to impress us with there card tricks which were crap, he might as well had told us he was putting cards in his pocket. The workers and the train police were more drunk than us, I was just really hoping the driver was sober.

After no sleep we arrived safely around 7am, hopped off the train and grabbed some breakfast. We had a 2 hr drive to our crash pad, I was really excited about this one as we were staying in the jungle!

Our transport arrived, a open truck with benches either side, we chucked our bags on the roof hoped in and held on, they do not know how to drive slow in Thailand or that they should not overtake on bends, Hayley you would of been wetting yourself!!

The driver pulled over at the side of the road where there was a women selling hot cakes, they are a Thai delicacy boiled in water, they are like hot sponge cakes, really good. The driver bought them for us which I thought was nice. The drive was beautiful so different from Bangkok,

all you could see were mountains and green trees. The houses looked more like houses here too, not so poor.

We arrived at Khao Sok the Morning Mist Resort around 11am, it was gorgeous ! I had a lovely jungle hut to stay in. I was told to watch out for the frogs and the gecos that usually visit the room. I saw one geco but I was ok with it as long as it didnt get in bed with me while I was asleep.

After settling in I decided to go and have a Thai massage, the journey was long and I felt I deserved some pampering, ow my god I was in Heaven I said to Shona I wanted to take one of them home with me not realising they spoke English, they thought it was funny.

After some lunch I decided to head to the river to do some canoeing, Thai style! You are given your own paddle man so all I needed to do was sit back and take in the views. While floating down the river you here nothing but the noise of the Jungle all sorts of animals that you cant

even recognise. Their is russling of the trees and your not sure if there is something in them or it just the hot breeze. The paddler placed my boat under a tree branch and showed me a green snake which was ok until he started to hit the branch with his paddle and the snack was about to land on my head. I started to scream and he said its ok snake is sleeping, sleeping my fucking arse!

After the paddler ensured me there were no crocks in these parts I had a quick dip, wasnt sure to take his word for it but it was so hot. There was a local women and her little boy cleaning their clothes in the river, he was so cute. The Thai children out here are adorable. After our swim we got back in our boats and took in our surroundings, there were only 4 of us on the water however no one seemed to want to talk not even me which makes a change, it was so stunning I actually had nothing to say.

The next thing I know I am being tapped on my shoulder, I was so relaxed

I passed out, my paddler was laughing at us as I think a few of us fell asleep.

As we got off the canoes they paddled off, I saw a bank to climb so I asummed that was where we should attempt to go. On the otherside there was a dirt track road with a driver waiting for us with a open back truck ( this method of transport do have a special name but I have forgotton, I will let you know later ). He drove us to see the local monkeys, he gave us banana's to feed them, they were mad monkeys but cute at the same time. I will try and download the video of dam dam their 2 month old pet monkey, they were all very well cared for and they all seemed very happy. Just thought I would get that in there in case any of my vet friends are reading this and think I am supporting animal cruelty! he he !

After all the excitment we headed back to the huts for a shower, this was when I had my first experience hand washing my clothes, Mum you would of been proud,

Peggy stop laughing! After getting changed and spraying myself with mosquito repellent as I am the only one they seem to be munching on I headed to our reserved eating area for dinner where I met the others. Sitting in candle light over looking the jungle wow!

Dinner was good, Thai food is gorgeous !! the cocktails and Singh's started to flow! I went back to Brit and Daniel's room for a few vodka's when we heard calling form the bushes? it was the Fiona's! they came over to join us and it was all down hill from there. A litre of vodka later and a trip to the local bar if you could call it a bar, just stools off the side of the road with a bar man and some flashing lights. We found a guiter that one of the Fiona's tried to play without success, this was when we thought it a better idea to head back not before Daniel and Fany downed a very strong vodka and coke. As we walked back Daniel pucked in someone's front garden and the Fiona's were completely wasted. Can you believe apart from Shona who had joined us a

bit later and hadnt drunk much I was the sober one. After having one more beer for the road I headed back to my hut trying not to wake my roomie I decided to vomit by a tree and not in my room, ok I was a little drunk!

The next morning I was up ready for my day ahead, no hang over just needed a good breakfast which always sorts me out. The Fiona's were no where to be seen! no stamina.

I was going walking in the jungle today, was excited to see into the national park and find some wild life! I went with Jamie, Alisha, and Bab's! we set off around 8.30am, it all started off quite pleasent feeling like a proper hiker, had everything I needed. Once we entred the park and grabbing a map I was told it was a 7km walk, around 15km in total. Anyone who know's me would know I have no idea how far this was but didnt sound that far so I was cool with it.

We started walking, there was a path, all seemed quite pleasant I even said to Jamie I didnt expect it

to be so man friendly, but I was ok with that. Why did I open my big mouth! we got to a hut that sold water which was the first and last place we found. After we stocked up on water and carried on our walk it all started to change. It was shocking I was balancing on a one foot wide ridge with a clear drop below only having tree roots to hang on to, I can deffiantly say I was shiting myself! we were finding arrows that were just pointing to places you wouldnt think were possible to climb or walk on, we questioned the danger's numerous times!

It was really tough and no matter how much I go on I cant begin to explain, I will add some photos! At certain points of the trek there were waterfalls to visit some you could even swim in, this was what kept me going!

Well do not listen to Thai people when they say there are waterfalls! more like trickles of water! I had high hopes for the next one as they said it is one of the biggest on the walk. So I carried on another

2 km, Sweety, hot, and hurting we finally get to the next waterfall. Are they fucking kidding me!!! I am not even gonna discuss it !

After risking my life and getting eaten by more mosquito's we reach the top 3.5 hours later! The view was cool but there was'nt really any great place to sit and have lunch so we decided to climb back down 2km where you could swim.

About 30 minutes later we found heaven, it was all worth it a small green logoon filled with beautiful fish. We all jumped in and swum round the corner to find cliffs that we swum through, and at the end was a rock pool, it looked like no one had ever been there before, it was like our own little discovery!

After cooling down we sat and had lunch, I found a rock by the edge of the logoon so I could dip my poor little feet in the water, I looked at my feet and thought of my Mum, we have the same feet.

floating down the river in the jungle in my canoe, and I didnt even have to paddle!

back, another 6km to go we just wanted to cry! well I did! the trek back seemed so much easier or I had just turned into Jungle women! we got back in just under 2 hrs, I won the bet! everyone knows the way back is always quicker.

We got back to morning mist at around 5pm, cannot believe I walked so far, needed a well deserved shower, dinner and bed, which is exactly what I did.

The next day I found out Alisha got really drunk and vomited everywhere, the poor thai boy had to clean up her vomit and while doing so dropped a wooden bench on his foot. He had a fat bandage on it this morning, poor guy. I am happy I went to bed early and missed that one. This was our last breakfast in Morning mist, I didnt want to leave it was so beauitful.

We said our goodbye's to the amazing staff, thanks Sam you were great! and was back on the road 2.5 hours to Ao Nang in Krabi, cant wait to get to the beach!

A unified Thai kingdom was established in the mid-14th century. Known as Siam until 1939, Thailand is the only Southeast Asian country never to have been taken over by a European power. A bloodless revolution in 1932 led to a constitutional monarchy....more history